One of the best-kept secrets of our times has been how astrological cycles correspond to business and daily activities. Imagine being a retailer and knowing which days people will want to part with their money! Or suppose you were a business owner and knew when to expand or contract the business, months or years ahead of time? Or what if you knew when to introduce new products and services so as to maximize their success? All of this cycle information has been available and tested for many years.

Perhaps even more important, what if you knew when NOT to make or implement major decisions? The Wall Street Journal once ran an article about 1400 businesses, which all started under the same astrological cycle, one that "randomly" occurs 2-3 times per week, and lasts from minutes or hours, to 2 days. The essential meaning of this cycle is "nothing will come of it", and all of them went bankrupt! That cycle is not actually random, but it's not visible in the usual sense either.

J. Pierpoint Morgan, was a very wealthy American financier at the turn of the century who used astrology for business timing purposes. He financed such companies as U.S. Steel Corporation and the Great Northern & Pacific Railroad, as well as the Boer War. His use of astrology for business made him a billionaire, back in the early part of this century when a million dollars was a vast fortune!

Walt Disney also used astrological cycles for business purposes. He chose his introduction and opening times for movies and the theme parks based on astrological cycles. He also made millions using this timing tool!

You can successfully use business astrology too, for your major business decisions and actions, by considering certain cycles. These periods affect everyone, and are basic to the successful timing of anything important. There are other complexities, too lengthy to cover, but we'll look at four basic cycles to monitor.

Before doing so, it's important to make one concept clear. Planetary movements and positions appear to be synchronous with the energies of the Universe. Therefore we can use the planetary cycles as indicators of the trends and energies here on Earth. But just as we don't attribute the temperature outside to the thermometer, it's important not to attribute the cause of various conditions and energies here on Earth to other planets and their cycles. They allow us to predict cycles here, but they don't cause them.

The Gestation or Time-Out Period

The Moon's cycle in relation to other planets and the sign that it's in, is a primary indicator of when to take action and when to wait. Certain times are designed for regrouping and others for action. When decisions are made, or actions taken, during "gestation or time-out" periods, either nothing happens, or the decision must be remade later. Often this means changing course after spending resources on an erroneous path, or encountering unexpected and difficult consequences.

Examples of public issues that occurred under this gestation period include the Watergate break-in during the 70s. (If not for their ill timing, we might never have known the truth!) In addition, presidential candidates Dewey, Nixon (versus Kennedy in 1960), Goldwater, and McGovern were all nominated under this cycle. In 1972 Nixon was elected under this cycle (the term he resigned), and President Ford, a lame-duck president, was sworn in under it. None of these actions came to positive fruition.

Perhaps most striking, all the bankrupt businesses reported on by The Wall Street Journal were started during the Moon's time-out period! Meetings convened under this cycle often fail to produce a decision. The key information required is usually missing, or the person with the best understanding of it is not present. When decisions are made anyway, they're plagued by false starts, mistakes, difficulties, and frequently, remaking the decision later.

A better method would be to make and implement important decisions during action cycles. Imagine not wasting time in meetings that will come to nothing anyway! Imagine not expending resources going down the wrong path! Plenty of increased productivity could result from just following this one cycle.

The Catch-Up Period

Three times per year, the planet Mercury appears to move backwards (known as a retrograde) from the Earth's point of view for 3 1/2 weeks. This planet is associated with communications, transportation, electronic equipment, and of course, computers. A Mercury retrograde period is a time when we are supposed to catch up. If only we humans would schedule catch-up time, our experiences would be a lot different!

This period is designed for redoing, reworking, rethinking, replanning, and recommunicating. It is ideal for finding all the things that fell through the cracks, didn't get done, and now must get done. It's perfect for catching up on paperwork, filing, and finding past mistakes, so they can be corrected. It is, in every sense of the word, time to catch-up, and clean up!

Since we are always pushing forward, with no time scheduled for this important activity, we often experience the following: Communications become miscommunications and misunderstandings. Transportation becomes difficult, with more delays and accidents than usual. Computers and other electronic equipment break down frequently, and our mistakes come to light. Appointments are missed or rescheduled and, in general, we're frustrated!

Business-wise, this is a terrible time to sign contracts of any kind. One or both parties may misinterpret the agreement or wish they hadn't signed, and contracts often have mistakes in them. Contract discussions announced or initiated during this cycle are fraught with schedule difficulties, misunderstandings, and often fall apart. It's definitely not the time to start new projects, since the purpose of this cycle is to catch-up. Even scheduled projects run into "Murphy Time", and fail to go as planned.

Products and services introduced or promoted under this cycle are unsuccessful, in terms of actual sales versus forecasts. Why? Customers misunderstand what is being offered, or miss the offer, and fail to buy it. Equally often, the product is incomplete or ineffective, especially in terms of documentation, or software. The promotion may also miss the boat and fail to create desire for the product.

Generally when we look back at these failures, we see that we rushed to market, or to complete our project, in time to fail! We took short cuts that didn't work, or refused to reconsider previous decisions, even when we were warned otherwise. In short, we used the period inappropriately and paid the price. Sometimes we pay dearly.

Travel-wise, Mercury retrograde is often a very difficult period. The major blizzard on the East Coast of the United States January 1996 occurred under this period. Not until Mercury started moving forward again, did the snowstorms and flooding finally stop.

Business travel during this period can be difficult. Missed plane connections, lost luggage, and hotel rooms or cars that were never booked, or given away, are much more frequent. Flights might not take off, or leave very late. Miscommunications or non-working, electronic equipment (phones, computers, copiers) make matters worse. Appointments and calls are missed. Messages are lost or misinterpreted. Contracts and negotiations can turn sour. In short, it's best to stay home.

Imagine working in a company where every fourth month was scheduled for catch-up and rethinking! Impossible you say? Imagine saving thousands and millions of dollars by not pushing forward when you're supposed to be catching your mistakes! Imagine missing costly schedule delays and hassles, because you're fixing your old problems and not making new ones! Imagine success, because you're not "spitting into the wind." This cycle occurs next between 14 April - 8 May 1997 and then again between 17 August - 9 September 1997.

Other Cycles

There are two other less frequent cycles, Venus and Mars retrogrades, which correspond to serious business considerations. When the planet Venus retrogrades for six weeks out of every 19-20 months, values are reconsidered, along with contracts, finances, pricing, and relationship needs.

In company charts Venus represents assets and credit, the ability to partner or create business alliances, purchasing, and the company's contract negotiations. It also represents how well the products and services are approved or accepted by customers. When Venus retrogrades, or appears to move backwards, all of these areas should be reconsidered. Moving forward can have difficult consequences.

Products introduced during this period are much less likely to be accepted by customers. Financing may not be available, and assets may be revalued downward. Partnerships, supplier relations, and major business alliances may need to be re-evaluated. It's also an unfavorable time to start a new company, since the company's assets may be less than adequate. Taking on debt should be avoided.

Legal and purchasing contracts signed under this cycle can have unpleasant consequences. Contract negotiations can be difficult and this is a very unfavorable time to buy a new company, division, or rights to a product. A company may pay too much under these circumstances, but it's not likely to be discovered until it's too late, and the deal is closed. Or there may be major disputes regarding the price and then the negotiations fall apart completely.

Fortunately this cycle happens much less frequently. It last occurred 20 May - 2 July 1996, and it will not occur again until 26 Dec. 1997 - 5 Feb 1998.

Another cycle, Mars retrograde, decreases business activity. The purpose of this cycle is to reconsider the motivations of our actions and the company's activities. While this biennial, ten-week cycle seems very inconvenient, used appropriately it can save companies from throwing a lot of money at bad ideas. Often it coincides with the time companies are about to make mistakes in their directions, activities, or new products. Major disputes can occur between the urge to push forward and the need to reconsider.

Products introduced during this time are like launching battleships to go to war without ammunitions and weapons -- very unsuccessful. This is not a time for new beginnings, since all actions are up for reconsideration. Consequently new products and services are not well received. Actual sales for products introduced can be as low as 15% of the forecast. In addition, products can suffer from serious mechanical failures during this period, such as Boeing's new 777 jet did, when it lost oxygen on its test flight.

Stock prices can also go down during this cycle, especially if a company continues to pursue inappropriate directions or activities. Momentum is not viewed as a "good excuse" by the Universe for continuing down a wrong course! The consequences can be serious. The last time this cycle occurred was 2 January - 24 March 1995. It is now occurring again from 5 February - 27 April 1997.

Summary

All of these are basic astrological cycles, which have been documented for hundreds and thousands of years. To not use this tool is like trying to take a major journey without a road map. How much easier life is when we know the obstacles ahead and can prepare for them! Businesses in Asia have used astrology for centuries. Their formidable competition demonstrates their understanding of the art of timing. If you are serious about conducting good business, then you need to know about it too!

Madeline Gerwick-Brodeur is a certified business and personal astrologer. Her background includes a BA degree with honors in economics, and 15 years of industrial marketing and sales. She is listed in several Who's Who books, and produces The Good Timing Calendar: Better Business Through Better Timing. Her astrology background includes 20 years of study and practice. She can be reached by email at Madelinegb@aol.com, or by phone in Seattle, WA at 206-729-8820.